Stories For the Damned

A Close Thing (ACO)

A/N: I'm a little rusty, but I finally wrote something that I liked.

Also, I swear I'm working on Food & Wine pt 2, one word at a time. It's like...

You could hear Kassandra huff and grunt as her sandals made a purchase in another minute crevice that was eroded into the side of the mountain. Her strong hands gripped the rock securely, but that didn't stop you from holding your breath and just barely resisting the urge to look away.

If she..fell-

Well, 'If' was the word she emphasized on when she strayed from the trail and goaded you to watch as she climbed some nearby cliff. She was so prideful in her abilities, eager to impress you with the skill that she honed while scaling the sides of buildings and rough cliffs with her brother. Something you were glad to not be there for.

But she seemed to be doing fine now. Unbelievably fast, Kass dared to hop and leap from ledge to ledge, making her way to the top in record time.

Now she stood at the peak, a good 30 yards above where you stood. Safe. Unlike Kass who shouted down to you. "See!?"

"Yes! I can...see you just fine. Kass can you-"

"What?"

You sighed, subconsciously rubbing a hand on your swollen belly with anxiety, gods. "I can see you just fine!" you shouted louder. If you squinted you could see her shadow cast head, form, nod in satisfaction. "Kass, please come down. You're making me...very, very nervous."

She was like a kid, the way she clearly yearned to show off as much as she could.

Oh, Kassandra was coming down alright.

You shut your eyes when you caught a glimpse of her lowering herself so that she hanged from the tip of the ledge in an unchancy way. "Holy fuck-" you cursed through gritted teeth, wincing, waiting for the sound of her scream as she fell.

But it did not come.

It felt like minutes, forever, as you tried to control your nerves, not seeing a thing. That's why you were taken aback for a second when Kassandra touched your shoulder. And you then opened your eyes to see her smile, pearly whites gleaming. "What did you think- It was practically-"

You immediately engulfed her in a hug, holding warm armor against you, causing her to hold your hips to steady the two of you. But as soon as you felt relief wash over you, the realization of what could have been came rushing back. Pushing her away, you scolded her, "You idiot! You could have-!" The last word was left unsaid.

"Hey-" she said, trying to reach for your hand.

The same hand that you instead used to point an accusatory finger at her. "Don't ever do that again, you fool!"

"It was just a few yards-"

"A few?!" you all but shouted. Gods, this was too much. She knew that the pregnancy already had you emotional. That plus your being due soon added some anxiety into the mix- You crossed your arms, practically holding yourself as you had the familiar feeling of crying wash over you. You cowered, sheltered yourself as you sniffled and turned from her.

"My love-? I'm- I'm sorry-" Kass said softly, knowing that she went too far, knowing that you just wanted her to be safe and-

You sobbed as she gently got closer and held you from behind, making you turn again, into her. You inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of sweat and all that was her. Kass's braid tickled your brow as the frayed hair lightly brushed against you when she held you tighter, whispering 'I'm sorry' over and over.

Until you were calm enough to really listen to her.

"I'm sorry. I am. I just wanted to show you what I had learned and-"

"Impress me? You said, voice hoarse.

"Yeah..."

You closed your eyes, knowing that you didn't need to explain away the sudden rush of emotion. You just had to let her know that- "I'm not- I'm not angry at you as much as it may seem, I just...I need you, Kassandra." You opened your eyes to meet hers. And you watched as she nodded softly, gazing at you in understanding.